Valve wants to combat this with the mobile gaming handheld Steam Deck Nintendo Switch stiffen into the ring. It currently looks like the gaming device could actually be shipped from February 2022.
Apparently the global lack of resources does not seem to cause further delays in the release of Valve's handheld PC Steam Deck. As designer Greg Coomer revealed in an interview with PC Gamer, the start seems to be held in February 2022.
Steam Deck on release course
Valve had previously had to postpone the release of Steam Deck due to a global shortage of semiconductors. This affected all console manufacturers who could not meet the demand for new consoles - or, as in the case of Steam's handheld, could not even bring a console onto the market. Steam Deck was originally supposed to be rolled out from December 2021.
We are on the right track, says Coomer. All the signs indicated that the planned time window could be reached. For the release, Steam Deck will be sent to pre-orderers in seasons. Coomer states that Valve will deliver large quantities to customers, but the mobile game PC will only be sold directly via Steam and not additionally in retail outlets. Valve will thus be able to control sales well.
However, the Valve designer also makes it clear in the interview that it will be a “real product launch”, meaning that thousands of devices will be shipped.
The expectations of the sales figures are high: After just one year, Valve wants to have delivered “millions” of Steam Deck units. With the release day, the aim is to gradually increase the delivery quantities and not to send a large load for the release, which is then followed by steadily decreasing deliveries.
Steam Deck will be available in different versions with different technical features: the models cost 399, 530 or 650 US dollars or 419, 549 or 679 euros. In the more expensive models, the upgrades mainly affect the memory, which is larger and, from the medium-priced version, also more powerful: NVMe-SSd compared to eMMC-SPeicher in the budget version.
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